Stupid child with stupid ideas

Hey there, Veeky Forums. I've doing research into a first vehicle for myself and thus far, I'm thinking a mini truck/kei truck is gonna be my best bet. The main features I'm looking for here is as follows:
>Reliable
>Economic
>Room to carry crap
>Easy to fix myself
>Easy to drive and park
>Modest off road potential
>Bonus points for style
I've emailed an importer and he said that it would cost me around $3500-$5000 to buy a truck in japan, import it to where I'm at, and get all the legal nonsense dealt with. However, I know crap all about cars, so I don't know how good these things actually are in comparison to normal cars. Is this stupid for me to want one of these things? What are some other options that meet most of what I'm looking for?

There will be no parts and no people who know how to work on them outside of Japan

>Is this stupid for me to want one of these things?
Yes
>What are some other options that meet most of what I'm looking for?
Ford Ranger 4x4 5 speed or a Tacoma 4x4 5 speed

kei cars are very small automobiles meant to fit into a tax bracket. they're mostly city cars. by japanese law they're restricted to 660cc (iirc) and 64hp (iirc). They're basically the ultimate shitbox.
Something to be mindful of is that japan does get snow which means their cars get rust. be prepared to have to do some body work.
>Is this stupid for me to want one of these things
hell no. They're a neat facet of the automobile industry. but be warned that it will be more of a project car/collector's car than a daily.
>Tacoma
shiggy. Ranger > swiss cheese

There are some local dealers where I can buy parts from. I don't wanna by the trucks themselves from them because they install lift kits and camo wraps which beefs up the price to like $15k. They've also got a cult following, so forums are ripe with info on how to work on them.

Rangers are only rear wheel drive though, aren't they? They also seem a lot less reliable, though that might just be my anti-Ford bias I inherited from my dad. Tacomas that are in nice shape are also Exceedingly rare where I'm at and almost never drop under the $6 mark for a passable one.

I don't mind if I'm constantly working on minor things just so long as no key components go bad on me. This would probably be a daily driver for me, so it's good for me to know what I'm getting into. Are they less reliable than I've been led to believe, or is it just parts availability that's the killer?

I thought in the us these couldnt be driven on public roads in most states

Canada, m8.

>Rangers are only rear wheel drive though, aren't they?
Are you fucking retarded?

I'm a Ranger owner, I completely agree it's just that tacos are a lot easier to find in 4x4 than a ranger is around here

My first vehicle with more than 2 wheels was a Kei Truck.

They are made quite cheap... you may end up with wiring issue, the ground wire coming off the battery is like the same size as the wire coming out of my mouse... (Not really, but it's fucking tiny)

Try and find one that isn't rusty, it's not THAT hard to do... I got a 1991 Honda Acty, and it's been in Southern Ontario since mid 2009, and still barely got any rust on it.. only really seen a couple Canadian winters... doesn't really get driven much during the winter.

In the 4 years I've owned it, it's done 60k KM... it screams down the highway at 80km/h at like 6000rpm or something stupid nearly every time it gets driven.. and for about 15 minutes each way.

I've replaced

>Dist Cap/Rotor Once (Silicone the gasket shut... I promise it will solve some issues)
>Ignition Control Module on Distributor (Got from wreckers from old Civic for $15)
>Ignition Coil twice (Old Civic/Prelude, buy new so you don't end up replacing it twice)
>Plugs twice
>Entire exhaust (rot, it was original) (Has Husqvarna TE610 Muffler now with a Cat for E-Test lol)
>Air filter twice
>Fuel Pump
>Alternator
>Needs new tires 155/80/13 are $40/each..
>Front coils are almost a must to replace, helped A LOT but causing a positive camber issue
>Battery
>Rear wheel bearings (Huge pain on the Acty, worked like 6 hours on the truck that day, fixed CV Boots and cleaned/regreased the joints)
>Horn of all things

I paid $4500 for it, and probably put like $1600 in parts into it... overall, not really cost effective, I'm pretty certain some shitty old GM 1/2 ton would be cheaper to run, and it wouldn't struggle to drive down a highway, or pass people.

Parts availability is the biggest issue, I had to wait over a month for a damn fuel pump... I tried saving by buying something on eBay that looked the same, ended up with Chinese garbage that died very quickly.

The best thing about it though, is if you have a business, it's AWESOME for publicity..

Then go for it op. I would want a secondary car tho if you end up waiting for a starter or alternator or some shit to show up in the mail one day

I might be a little bit retarded.

Nah, man. Pedaling a bike in the Canadian winter builds character.

Oh yeah, isn't RHD car insurance stupid expensive in Canada too?

Kei trucks are a fetish of mine.

I hope you go through with it and have a great experience OP.

Ive always wanted one...do it!

Thanks for the informative post, user! Like I said, I don't mind a project vehicle, just as long as it's fairly dependable when I need it, I'm happy. I'll also pretty much never be on a highway, so I'm not too worried about sub-par acceleration or power.

Not from what I hear on the minitrucktalk forums. Exact numbers vary based on where you live, but it's about the same as normie cars.

Just FYI, you're better off learning to fix the thing yourself than to ever take it to a mechanic.

Mine needs a new carb, the wife took it to some moron one day and he bent some linkages to try and "Adjust" it... which caused all kinds of issues... so the next $500 into the truck will be a re-man carb from Japan.

Before anyone says anything, I was busy with work, and couldn't try and fix it at the time.

My best advice, get a fuel injected one, it will not give you anywhere near the problems mine has given me... and the newer ones also have longer wheel base, which rides WAY better. If it costs you $2000 more and you can afford it, get a newer one, it will save you headaches in the future.

Oh yeah, mine needs new front brake pads right now, which is hopefully $30~ from the rear of older disc equipped Civic or Prelude, 60k KM and first brake job... no idea how the pads were before... I've greased the slide pins a few times though.

Good luck on your adventure! Where are you located?

Acty user above, I forgot about that aspect...

Yes, State Farm, business insurance... tell them you have a small landscaping company... under $100/month... mine went down to $73~ month with house/life/bike/car insurance on same policy.

If you can't get in with them, you're fucked... $6000/year+

If you want to talk more, contact me on minitrucktalk... username is Borg.

That's what I figured. I had a friend with a RHD XJ and he was fucked paying $600 a month.

And I think he's still paying it, trying to get rid of it

Alright, I'll do that. It may be a while until I actually get me one of these trucks, so if some weirdo in 2 years starts talking about how we talked on Veeky Forums it's probably me.

Yeah.. neighbour has an Evo 5... he pays like $5000/year still after like 3 years, but he's under 25... more money than brains.

Assuming Ontario here.... Alberta/BC and most non-Ontario provinces, insurance is normal or at least resonable.

Alright, was gonna say if you're reasonably close to me, come check out the truck, find out how much you don't want one Hah.

I noticed a guy in my area is selling them. Just in case you're somewhere in Michigan.

Very kind of you to offer, but I tend to be kinda paranoid about people finding out my identity online. I'll stay anonymous for now :P

This is a meme right guys?

I've got a van, its fun, it turns a lot of heads. But what some people have said is true, parts are non-existent so get used to importing, information is scarce at best so get used to reading forum posts that are vaguely related to the topic at hand.

Mines slow but, it probably goes 0 to 60 in 20 seconds if not more, up steep hills it hurts and the top speed i feel comfortable driving at is probably 50mph because after that the engine is roaring, could replace the 4speed with a 5speed but thats a lot of work.


Having said all that, I'm enjoying restoring various things within in at moving forward am enjoying the research required for lowering and modifying it.

The most important thing when buying a car is that you enjoy what you buy, if I had've bought a yaris or something I wouldn't be staying up until 3am researching wheel offsets and how to make custom struts. But after buying this shitbox I am.

here's the van im drawin a lot of inspiration from. hopefully i can get mine looking half as nice

>The best thing about it though, is if you have a business, it's AWESOME for publicity..
explain

everyone looks at these things mate, i've got the van, i imagine the truck would turn more heads.. they really are tiny. pic related.

You see these driving down the street, you look at 'em.

Maybe in the first world.

Unfortunately in the third world these things are common as dirt.

>tfw pic related is more expensive than a used 2001 Audi A1

meant to say Audi A3

yeah, well obviously it depends on the location, theyd be no good for advertising in japan either.

it sucks india has weird export laws, they still make the exact model of suzuki carry i have today, under a different brand and name, but im not allowed to import their brand new parts.

>The most important thing when buying a car is that you enjoy what you buy, if I had've bought a yaris or something I wouldn't be staying up until 3am researching wheel offsets and how to make custom struts. But after buying this shitbox I am.
OP here. That's kinda what I was thinking. I COULD get a Ford Ranger, but it very much lacks the flavor that mini trucks have. I feel like the subconscious act of being invested in your car is a pretty big step toward actually making good use out of it.